Sponsorship recruitment is a critical part of organizing successful events—whether it’s a charity gala, a tech conference, or your town’s annual "Lawn Chair Racing Championships" festival. To make sure your event flourishes (and your spreadsheets stay happy), it’s worth understanding the different ways to structure sponsorships. Two popular models are the classic tiered sponsorship levels and the build-your-own a la carte approach.

There are two kinds of sponsorships: cash sponsorship, where a company generously opens its wallet for some sponsor benefits, and in-kind sponsorship, where a company provides products or services for sponsor benefits.